Tax Tip of the Week | No. 426 | Birth Dates You Need to Know
Tax Tip of the Week | Sept 27, 2017 | No. 426 | Birth Dates You Need to Know
Many of the tax rules for individual taxpayers depend on age. Attaining a birthday may entitle an individual to a special tax break or end entitlement to another. It should be noted that some apply on the date of the birthday, some rules apply when the birthday is achieved at the end of the year, and some apply with respect to a half-year birthday. Following are some of the major birthdays you need to know:1 day: If a child is born on December 31, the child is considered a dependent of his or her parents for the entire year.If you are legally married on December 31, you are considered married for the entire year. Likewise, if you are divorced on December 31, you are considered single for the entire year.Age 13: The dependent care credit (Daycare credit) can be claimed until the child reaches his or her 13th birthday.Age 17: A tax credit up to $1,000 can be claimed for a child under age 17. You lose the credit the year the child turns 17—the credit is not prorated.Ages 19 and 24: A child is considered a “qualified child” and can be claimed as a dependent on the parent’s return until the child turns 19, or turns 24 if he or she is a full-time college student.However, a parent can still claim a dependency exemption for a child as a “qualified relative” after age 19 or 24 if certain conditions are met. For example, if a parent supports a child who is 32 years old and lives in the parent’s home and earns less than $4,050 (in 2017), then the parent can claim the dependency exemption. Certain other factors must also be considered.If a child has unearned income (investment income) the “Kiddie Tax” rules also apply under ages 19 or 24.Age 26: Under the Affordable Care Act, a child can remain on his or her parent’s health insurance policy until the age of 26. This is true even if the child cannot be claimed as a dependent or even lives with the parent.Age 50: When you turn 50 you can make “catch-up” contributions to qualified retirement plans such as 401(k)s, SIMPLE IRAs and Traditional and Roth IRAs. For 2017, the additional contributions are $6,000 for 401(k)s, $3,000 for SIMPLE IRAs and $1,000 for IRAs.Age 55: The 10% early distribution penalty on distributions from qualified retirement plans and IRAs prior to age 59.5 do not apply if the distributions are made because of a separation of service from the employer.You can also make a $1,000 additional “catch-up” contribution to an HSA account once you reach age 55.Age 59.5: The 10% early distribution penalty on withdrawals from qualified retirement plans and IRAs do not apply after attaining age 59.5.Age 65: Taxpayers who use the standard deduction vs. itemized deductions can claim additional deductions the year they turn 65. For 2017, the additional standard deduction is $1,550 for single filers and $1,250 for each spouse at age 65 on joint returns.Age 65 is also the age when distributions from HSAs can be taken without penalty for non-medical expenses. However, such non-medical distributions are still subject to income tax.Age 70.5: The year you turn age 70.5 is when you must start taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from qualified retirement plans and IRAs. (A full discussion of RMD rules goes beyond the scope of this Tax Tip)Please Note: This is a very simplified discussion of age-based tax rules and should not be relied upon without consulting with our office.Happy Birthday!You can contact us in Dayton at 937-436-3133 and in Xenia at 937-372-3504. Or visit our website.Rick Prewitt - the guy behind TTW...until next week.